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Follow along with the conference on Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag #MidwestMLA15

Librarians + Evidence = Proof

You see before you a simple scientific equation. Librarians + Evidence = Proof This equation forms the basis of our work as medical librarians in the 21st century. We are librarians. Masters-prepared individuals with experience at the interface between people and information. We search for the best evidence to support our work as librarians; and we search for the best evidence to support the medical treatments and research of the health care professionals whose work we support. What results, we hope, will be proof that everything we do follows the best possible practices based on current evidence-based knowledge.

This equation will be the foundation upon which we will build the 2015 annual meeting of the Midwest Chapter of the Medical Library association in Louisville, Kentucky.

It’s been 23 years since my first Midwest Chapter meeting. Much has changed since then, how we do our jobs, how we live our lives, our towns. Louisville has changed tremendously in that time. It was always a pleasant kinda southern town, but now it has an energy, an excitement and a dynamism that is truly remarkable.

Louisville is now branding itself as Possibility City, a place where anything can and does happen. Come to Louisville the first weekend in October and you can attend the St. James Art Fair, OktoberFest (I know I did the Chicken Dance with some of you back in ’93), the Garvin Gate Blues Festival, or the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular where 5000 carved and painted pumpkins decorate a ¼ mile walk through our Iroquois Park. And we have so many new museums and the restaurants. Louisville has become a foodie heaven. So many new and exciting places to eat and food trucks galore and farmer’s markets all over town. We have revitalized old neighborhoods and new neighborhoods are being built that try to combine the best of urban and suburban living.

OK you’re convinced, Louisville is worth a visit. But why come for a professional meeting?

Because we have already been working for over a year to make this a worthwhile event.

Because this is the third time we are hosting the Midwest Chapter meeting and this time we’re gonna get it right!

Because we are conveniently located and accessible, within a day’s drive of half of the US population

Because the weather in October is great.

Because we’re really excited about our keynote speaker, New York Times medical correspondent, Lawrence Altman. Altman was the first physician to work on a daily newspaper. He has been part of their science news staff since 1969. At one time he was Editor of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Because Big Data may just be the next big movement in the library world and we’re going to make sure we are all knowledgeable on this topic. Scott Plutchak, until recently the director of the medical library at the University of Alabama Birmingham, is now Director of Digital Data Curation Strategies at UAB where his job is to work on such questions as

How can we effectively manage research data?

What services should the institution provide?

How do you effectively manage security for that data?

How do you establish policies and monitor compliance with complex federal requirements?

How do you make data available for reuse?

Because joining Scott will be folks from our region who are already leaders in this field: Sandra DeGroote (University of Illinois, Chicago), Heather Coates (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis), and Caitlin Bakker (University of Minnesota).

Because learning about local health care issues in North Dakota proved so interesting to us, we are presenting a panel discussion featuring local health care providers from Kentucky entitled “Tobacco, Meth and Mountain Dew: Oral Health in Appalachia.”

Because Campfire Conversations were so much fun, we’re trying it again but with a southern twist. We’ll have Sweet Tea on the Veranda. Iced tea is the house wine of the south and a relaxing way to get stimulating and lively conversations about library topics going.

Because a trip to Louisville is not complete with at least a taste of America’s official native spirit, bourbon (surprisingly the state beverage of Kentucky is milk!), we will experience the history and culture of bourbon making in Kentucky at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience. There we will hang out, eat and drink in the Speakeasy, where you will have to know the secret password to gain entrance

And mostly because we will be able to meet and visit and learn from our colleagues in informal settings and formal presentations.